Republican Governor Not Ruling Out Challenge to Trump

“I would say I'm being approached from a lot of different people and I guess the best way to put it is, I haven't thrown them out of my office," he said.

By NTK Staff | 02.20.2019 @11:30am

A Republican governor who just won reelection by double digits in a blue state with “one of the largest minority populations in the country” is not ruling out a challenge to President Donald Trump in the Republican primary.

Gov. Larry Hogan (R-MD) told CBS News that anti-Trump conservatives are urging him to mount a challenge to the president. Hogan said he has not yet made up his mind on the matter.

“I was just sworn in a month ago for my second term … I’ve got a lot of work to do here in Maryland … I would say I’m being approached from a lot of different people and I guess the best way to put it is, I haven’t thrown them out of my office,” Hogan said.

Hogan argued that the Republican Party needs more leaders exhibiting courage. “I do believe that there are people in Congress and other leaders in the Republican Party who have not stood up when they disagree or when they think that the president is doing something wrong. I’ve not been afraid to do that,” he said, according to CBS News.

Hogan didn’t back down from criticizing Trump, either:

Asked if President Trump is fit to be president, Hogan said, “Look, I’m not in any position to judge the fitness of the president … I’ve been pretty clear, I don’t like the tone that the president uses. I think there are times where he acts irrationally, and makes decisions and … does things in a way that aren’t great for the Republican Party, or for the country, or for him and his agenda, for that matter. I mean, I think sometimes he can be his own worst enemy.”

Still, criticism of the president is a far cry from mounting a primary challenge. But Hogan is expected to take over as head of the National Governors Association in the coming months, and he’s slated to visit Iowa next month.